Jodi's favorite things...Skiing Alta on Christmas Eve in the POWDER!

It is the day after Christmas, out tummies are full, all the presents are opened, the kids are pooped out and I've got to get busy on this blogging and all the fun winter stuff we've been doing and will do.

Since Emily was a little tot, we've tried to ski at Alta on Christmas Eve. It is just what we do. Years ago when the kids were little, we'd put them in the Childrens Center and have time to do some runs with Mom and Dad. Now, we can ski as a family. This year, we were in the throws of another good old fashioned snowstorm. We headed up early and met some of Emily's friends up at Alta. Alta doesn't allow snowboarding, but Brennan was happy to strap on his skis and away he goes! I like that Alta is easy access. Drive up to the door, get dropped off with all your gear and get dressed in the warming area before heading into the elements. This year, the "elements" were wild! No worries, kids were dressed for it. There were no lines and we were able to get quite a few runs on the lower lifts. What is amazing about Alta is even off Sunnyside lift (the "beginner" lift) you can access some awesome tree runs and even some black diamond tree runs...off the low lift! The lift also has a great bar that when you put it down, it has a small bit that goes all the way to the chair between the kids legs, so they can't slip out! The lift is also low so for the first time...Bren got on and off the lift by himself!!!

There was so much snow coming down that every run we took was like fresh powder! For the kids, it was awesome. We were heading down and I could here giggles, hollaring and good old fashioned fun with a "this is awesome" thrown in!

When people talk about Alta, they talk about the powder and the vertical. What most don't know is that lower mountain is so family friendly! Check out this trail map... For families, park in the Albion Basin parking lot and you can even just purchase beginning area pass and get great terrain. Alta has a card that goes in your pocket vs a lift ticket. You keep that and actually save when you reload your card pass when you ski. It is a good environmentally way to do it. When you get on the lifts, you "buzz" through the gates and go right in. For the kiddos, they wore their new handy dandy neoprene helmet cover with the pocket for their pass and they buzzed through.

For kid friendly runs, I'd recommend staying on the Sunnyside/Cecret/Albion lifts. There are so many awesome green runs. Sunnyside/Home Run/Crooked Mile... are some of my favorites. And, you can keep an eye on your little fellas and bounce off through the trees which are awesome! If your kids are a little adventuresome or like Brennan, fearless, they can follow you! Bren did a few jumps and fell, no worries, it was "awesome".

Once the wind picked up and the snow piled up, we went home to finish off our Christmas Eve and wait for Santa with thoughts of that wonderful powder and a reminder of why I love Alta so much! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, we did!

Couple side notes... Utah is in the throws of another storm. Alta has received 168" so far and the mountains are getting hammered with another 12"+ in the next couple days! The Pacific is busy!

I also wanted to pass along a tip...I found some awesome thermals by Terramar found at Ski' N See! I am always cold and wear only these under my ski pants and don't get cold! Check out their latest hot deals.

1 Comment

Melissa Fields
posted
2.6 years ago

Our Christmas Eve tradition is the Torchlight Parade at Snowbird and this year rather than braving the stormy canyon after the parade we got a room at The Inn at Snowbird. The kids loved it until the morning when we went to breakfast and my seven-year-old looked around at all other other diners and said, her lip quivering, "I'll be all these people have already opened their presents!" And with one comment my hopes of sneaking in a couple of runs before we headed down canyon were dashed. Thankfully there have been -- and will be -- more powder days to follow. Winter 2012/13 is shaping up to be very sweet!

Mentioned Above

Jodi Saeland

Jodi Saeland is a part-time KSL Meteorologist and full-time Mom of an eight-year-old daughter and six-year-old son. Follow Jodi as she explores the trials and triumps of skiing with your kids. Gain practical real-world advice on how to pack, dress, communicate and ski with your kids on Utah's famous slopes. How to be a skier while having an avid, excited budding snowboarder!

With her experience as a meteorologist, Jodi shares a bit of knowledge about Utah’s weather forecasts and The Greatest Snow on Earth®

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